Anne & Cristine: New drama royalty

MANILA, Philippines - No Other Woman makes it official: Anne Curtis (right) and Cristine Reyes are the new royalty of Philippine drama.

In the movie, now showing in theaters nationwide, the leading ladies of Viva Artists Agency play rivals for the affection of the same man (played by Derek Ramsay). Cristine is the loving housewife who learns to shake off her “Lucy Torres” and unleash her inner “Gretchen Barretto” when heiress and party girl Anne starts playing with fire as the titular “other woman.”

It’s the first time for both actresses to play such mature, complex roles on the big screen. And they pull them off with flying colors  strong and vulnerable at once. They also bounce off each other beautifully especially in their confrontation scenes that are sure to be quoted and imitated for years to come.

No Other Woman showcases both Anne’s and Cristine’s acting range. It’s worlds apart from Anne’s previous hit movie, the riotous comedy Who’s That Girl?, and comes on the heels of Cristine’s teleserye Reputasyon where she plays the “other woman” part, albeit wrongly accused, which she essays with as much conviction as her big screen role.

What’s next for the new drama royalty? More heavy-hitting from Cristine as Reputasyon continues to dominate the afternoon drama landscape on TV. For her part, Anne makes a foray into the world of pop music with her just-released debut album, Annebisyosa.

The Viva Records album contains covers of several all-time favorites including Meryl Bainbridge’s Mouth, Cathy Dennis’ Too Many Walls and Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. It also includes the radio single Tinamaan Ako, an original track written by Maldita, the band behind the chart-topper Porque. The light, catchy midtempo lovesick song is a perfect match for Anne’s light, vibrant pop persona.

Speaking of pop royalty, Annebisyosa finds Anne squaring off with music queen Sarah Geronimo on a cover Total Eclipse of the Heart. Talk about ambition: This is as surprising a pairing and as surprising a song choice as it can get.

Anne and Cristine also continue to be busy with their regular TV shows  Anne as host of the top-rating daily talent competition Showtime and as semi-regular host of ASAP Rocks, where Cristine is also a semi-regular host.